Via Sentencing Law and Policy, a federal judge in Iowa has issued a 52 page memorandum (available here) deciding that the appropriate sentence for Agriprocessor's Sholom Rubashkin is 27 years. Prosecutors asked for 25 years (previously they said they wanted life), the defense asked for 6 years. The local news report is here.

Rubashkin, age 51, had no prior convictions. The judge found a lot of enhancements, and determined his guideline range to be 324 to 405 months. She rejected all requests for a downward departure or variance. The defense grounds for departure were:

Defendant asks the court to depart downward due to Defendant’s relationship with his autistic minor son, his charitable and civic deeds and his mental health.